Five Bizarre (But Totally Awesome) Boats

You may not believe your eyes, but the BBQ Doughnut, the Wally 58, the Corcl, the Super Falcon Mark II, and the Hodgdon 10.5 are for real.

By Lenny Rudow

November 18, 2015

We boaters are innovative types (there’s plenty of proof to be found by reading 10 Homemade Boats that will Rock Your World), but sometimes, boat designers go off the rails. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because crazy can also be a lot of fun. Here are five new boats hitting the water which prove the point.

Is it a Bar-B-Q platform? A doughnut? A boat? Yes, yes, and yes.

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1. The BBQ Doughnut Boat – If Homer Simpson was going out on Lake Springfield, there’s no doubt that this would be his boat. The BBQ Doughnut boat, available in both eight- and 10-seat models, comes with a charcoal grill, an umbrella with lighting, an ice bowl, and a five-horse outboard. Jazz things up with the Ultimate Package, and you get serious maritime equipment like a HexH2o drone with a GoPro, a picnic table, and a three-piece grilling set. The BBQ Doughnut boat is available in both polyethylene and fiberglass, but however you cut it, this unusual craft does seem a bit pricey to us—it appears in the Hammacher-Schlemmer catalog for a whopping $50K. D’op!

The maker’s brochure does, however, say that prices are typically “thousands of dollars less, depending on the configuration and whether you choose to have your own drone.” And there’s a way to experience the BBQ Doughnut boat without buying one, too, because they’re currently for rent in Cape Coral, Florida. You can book a BBQ and Beverage excursion, a Sunset Cruise, or even a Business Lunch (hopefully not with Mr. Burns).

The Wally 58 may look unusual, but it's a serious boat in every sense.

2. The Wally 58 – Even if you’ve been around boats since the times of steam power, we doubt your eyes have glimpsed a boat like this. Shaped like an arrowhead and laid out with a massive open cockpit deck, the Wally 58 is about as unusual-looking as they come. The same is true belowdecks, where you’ll discover a crisp décor with contrasting blacks and whites, set in an angular, curve-free, contemporary cabin. “Eye-popping” is the term that comes to mind.

This avant-garde sport cruiser has an LOA of 57’ 9”, a beam of 19’, weighs in at 23 tons, and carries a pair of Volvo Penta IPS 1200 pod drives that propel it up to a top-end of 40 knots. Construction is just as modern as its design, incorporating carbon-fiber and honeycomb cores. Our favorite feature is the hydraulic passerelle, which pivots down to do double-duty as a swim platform/ladder. But the 58 is not Wally’s only model—the range stretches from 42’ to 118’, and each and every boat they build looks thoroughly unique and unusual.

We used to say that all boats have a pointy end, called the bow. The Corcl just changed that.

3. The Corcl – We found this nifty little craft so interesting, we gave it a review of its own in The Corcl: A Very Different Kind of Boat. But as unique and unusual as it is in today’s world of recreational boats (the Corcl’s ancestors have a long history of commercial and utility use in Asia and the Middle East) we didn’t want to leave it out of this mix. Want to learn more about the Corcl? Read that review, or…

4. Super Falcon Mark II – Upon first glance, you might confuse the DeepFlight Super Falcon Mark II for a modified X-wing fighter from the new Star Wars movie. But closer examination proves that this is actually a boat. Sort of. In truth it would be more accurately called a submarine. But it can cruise along the water’s surface and instead of utilizing traditional submarine variable ballast systems, this crazy craft incorporates positive buoyancy. Thus, it’s also a boat. And maybe there’s a little airplane in it too, because it has inverted wings design to “fly” beneath the water’s surface.

The Super Falcon Mark II is a hair under 20’ long, carries two people, and weighs in at just under 4,000 pounds. Pricing isn’t disclosed—you’ll have to contact DeepFlight directly to inquire—but we’re betting that this boat-sub-plane does not come cheap.

5. Hodgdon 10.5 Limousine – The 10.5 Limousine looks somewhat like a cross between a bus and a boat—a very classy bus-boat. And essentially, that’s exactly what it is. Designed to shuttle passengers to and from a megayacht with panache, these waterborne limos are semi-customized to match and complement your megayacht’s look. With a LOA of 34’4” and a beam of 9’7” the 10.5 can accommodate 10 or more passengers. Power comes via a Volvo Penta D-6 370 HP stern drive, and top-end can break 35 MPH.